Baltimore Ravens FS Matt Elam has been promoted to the starting lineup and is being listed as the starting free safety on the depth chart. Elam played in 66 snaps in Week 2, while FS Michael Huff played in only six snaps.

Baltimore Ravens FS Michael Huff is off to a strong start with his new team in an attempt to replace defensive star Ed Reed. "He has great range. He has really good speed. We all know he has played corner in the past. He has played safety, so he gives us a lot of flexibility matchup-wise," Ravens secondary coach Teryl Austin said. "He can cover, he can blitz, he can play in the back. We will use that to the best of our ability to try to confuse quarterbacks and try not to line him up in the same place all the time."

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said the defense will not lose a step with FS Michael Huff taking the place of former FS Ed Reed, who left to sign with the Houston Texans. "He's going to enable us to keep doing the things that we've been doing on defense and even build on those things," Harbaugh said of Huff. "He's just a tremendous player, a tremendous guy."

Free-agent SS Michael Huff (Raiders) said he has not heard from the St. Louis Rams, who are in the market for help at the safety position. The team has limited cap space, so they might simply not be able to afford him.

Fantasy Tip: DHB never emerged as the deep threat that Oakland thought he could be after drafting him as a first-round pick. Mediocrity at the quarterback position probably didn't help. Heyward-Bey could still have fantasy value as a No. 4 or 5 WR depending on where he lands.

Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said Friday, Feb. 22, that FS Michael Huff will remain at safety, although he is open to playing wherever he is needed. "I think at the end of the day his natural fit is at safety but I think he'll do anything we need him to do to give us a chance to be successful," Allen said.

Oakland Raiders FS Michael Huff believes he will play at a Pro Bowl-type level this season, particularly due to the team's new defensive scheme. "Everything is lined up for me to be the All Pro, Pro Bowl player that I was drafted to be. So, this should be the year," Huff said.

Oakland Raiders FS Michael Huff's role in the team's new defensive scheme figures to be wide-reaching, with more blitzing, playing more cornerback and taking on a role similar to that of Green Bay Packers CB Charles Woodson. "That's what it seems like, just a lot of variety and doing it all," Huff said. "You never know where he's going to line up at. He's just out there making plays. Hopefully I'll kind of emulate him and play like him."

Oakland Raiders FS Michael Huff said he is looking forward to playing in a "real defense" under new head coach Dennis Allen in 2012. Huff said the old scheme, which had former managing general partner Al Davis' fingerprints all over it, was too predictable. "Nothing personal but, obviously, before with Al (Davis), rest in peace, he had his hands in all the defense," Huff said. "He had all his little things he liked to do. Now with D.A. out there, we got all kinds of blitzes, we got 3-4, 4-3 fronts, just a lot of different variety and a lot of different things going on. So, I'm going to love it."

The Oakland Raiders have restructured the contract of FS Michael Huff. Huff's salary dropped to $700,000, moving additional money into a bonus structure that would drop his cap number from $9.828 million to $3.988 million.

Oakland Raiders FS Michael Huff reportedly has a $4 million roster bonus due March 15, raising speculation that he'll have to restructure his contract or be cut. Huff said via Twitter that he's certainly not thinking about leaving the team after talking to head coach Dennis Allen. "Had a great talk with D.A. and I love what he has planned for us on D," Huff said.